Assigxoe to joseph b



(No Model.)

APatellted Dec. 25; 1883.

ualllllllll'l l Afforney I UNTTnn STATES ATnNT Trice..

RICHARD DEAE?, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIG-NOR TO JOSEPH B. MERIAM,

OF SAME PLAGE.

APPARATUS FOR DISTiLLATION.

- PECIFICA'lIGN forming part bf Letters Patent No. 290,866, datedDecember 25, 1883.

4 Application tiled September 11, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD DEAN, of Cleveland. in the county ofCuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Im- 5provements in Apparatus for Distillation; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,

such as will enable others skilled in the artto which it appertains tomake and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in an apparatus for distilling,the object being to effect an economical distillation of crude or othermaterials by the continuous method, and to improve the distillatcs aswell as'the residuum in quality. l

1With these objects in view my invent-ion consists in certain featuresof construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafterdescribed and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a View in elevation of a stillembodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a view thereof in verticalsection.

Before being subjected to atomization, the oil is heated in a heater ofany suitable construction. As herein shown, this heater consists of acylinder, A, inclosinga coil, B,through which the oil is passed. Afterbeing heated in its passage through the said coil, the oil is conveyedby duct C into an atomizer, D, located in the upper portion of the stillE, and having no outlet except through a number of orifices,

F, opening downward into the still. A horizontal diaphragm divides theatomizer into a Vsteam-chamber, G, and an oil-chamber, H.

Steam, either superheated or raw, is introduced into the said chamber G,while heated oil is brought into the chamber H by the duct C, leadingfrom the heater, as described. Small 4o pipes I, mounted in thediaphragm aforesaid and communicating with the steam-chamber G, extenddown into the oil-chamber H and centenwith and terminate j ust above theorifices F. In virtue of thisconstruction, the oil will be atomized asit escapes into the still through the orifices F by jets of steamissuing from the pipes I, and also seeking an outlet into the stillthrough the said orifices.

A pyramidal helix, J, having its base uppermost, occupies that portionof the still which is located below the atomizer. Steam-is introducedinto thebase-coilof this helix and issues from the apex-coil thereofinto the chamber K, located between the wall of the still and the jacketL inclosing it. After rising through this chamber and heating the stilland its contents, the steam is further utilized to heat the heater A, towhich it is conveyed by a pipe, M, and from which it is exhaustedthrough the opening N.

The conduit O, located in the upper extremity of the still, collects thevapors of the oil and conducts them away for separation andcondensation,while a trap, l? consisting of a pipe rising fromtlie'lower enti of the still to about the 6 5 level of the base-coil ofthe helix J, fulfills i the function of removing the residual oil,whiehmay be conducted to a suitable manifold and cooled, or utilized to heatthe oil before its introduction into the still, and in this capacity 7otaking the place of or acting in conjunction with steam, which theapparatus herein described employs for that purpose.

Having described the construction of my improved still, I will nowproceed to explain the process of distillation as effected by its aid.The material to be distilled is first introduced into the heater,whereinit is raised in temperature to the desired degree, and from which it isintroduced into the oil-chamber of the atomizer by the means provided.As soon as t-he oil begins to llow into the said chamber, steam,superheated or otherwise, is introduced into the steam-chamber above it,and nds an outlet therefrom through the small pipes depending from thediaphragm separating the two chambers. The jets of steamissuing fromthese pipes operate to atomize the little streams of oil escaping fromthe oil-ch amber into the still from the orifices opening downwardthereinto, as described. This atomization of the oil favorsvaporization,and a portion of the atomized oil is at once vaporized, thevapor rising to the top of the still and being conveyed away forseparation and condensation by the conduit provided for that purpose.'Other portions of the atomized oil which are not at once vaporized aresubsequently converted by the heat of the still or by contact with thehelix,wl1ich is continuouslyheated, as described. Those por- 10o tionsof the oil which are not vaporized at all accumulate in the lowerportion of the still an d rise to the level of the trap, from which theyare continually discharged as a residuum of fine quality. The valueofthe present process and apparatus for continuous distillation isgreatly enhanced by being used in connection with an apparatus forcondensation operating` upon the principle of separating the differentgrades of vapors before condensation.

I Would have it understood that do not limit myself to the specificapparatus herein shown, as my invention comprehends any suitable meansfor carrying out myimproved process.

If desired, the jacket ofthe still may be dispensed with and direct heatapplied to assist in the vaporization of the oil.

My improved process and apparatus are especially adapted to operationsof reducing petroleum-oils aud of raising their fire-test.

The process and apparatus may also be used with admirable results in thedistillation of alcohol and in the refining of high grades of alcoholicliquors. I would therefore have it claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. The eombinationvith astill-and a heater for heating the materialbefore it is distilled, of a steam-atomizer located within the still,said atomizer consisting` of an oil-chamber having an oil-supply pipecommunicating there- With and orifices opening into the still,asteamchamber provided with steam-induction pipe and with small pipes ortubes extending into the oil-chamber for atomizing the oil, and asteam-coil located below the atomizer, substantially as set forth. l

2. The combinatiomwith a still, of a steamatomizer'loeated therein, andconsisting' of an oil-chamber provided with an oil-induction pipe andwith orifices opening into the still, and of a steam-chamber providedwith a steaminduetion pipe and with small pipes extending into theoil-chamber, and arranged to atomize the oil as it escapes from theorifices thereof, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscrib-

